As both China and India have a long history, they have had many contacts and interactions over the past millennia, with the Buddhist exchanges among the most important links between them. In the backdrop of the new epoch featuring rapid progress in various fields in China-India relations, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Kolkata has sponsored the photography of Buddhist structures and sites in China and India by the artists from the two countries, which has resulted in the current collection called Photographs of Buddhist Structures in China and India. It is hoped that this collection will not only present the charm of the art works before the readers, but also arouse their interest in the long years of the friendly exchanges between China and India, thus contributing to the friendship and cooperation of the two countries.

I would take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Buddhist Association of China, and to Abbot Guangquan of Lingyin Temple, Mr. Wu Zongqi of Zhejiang Photographers Association, Mr. Wu Jian of Dunhuang Research Academy, Ms. Mala Mukerjee from India and other friends from both China and India for their hard work and kind support in this connection.